When I saw this beautiful stencilled skateboard photo by STENZSKULL pop up in the Obama Craft Project flickr pool, I could hardly contain my excitement. You see, while I’m not a skateboarder myself (although I do own a sweet longboard that I can stay upright on, believe it or not), I believe deeply in supporting facilities for skateboarders, and eliminating the ridiculous anti-skateboarding laws which abound in many, many cities and towns across the U.S. Really, skateboarding is not a crime, and skateboarders are very often the victims of harassment and stereotyping. Skateboarding, like my other favorite sport of basketball, can be a very healthy, lifelong activity that is particularly special because its very nature encourages self-expression and creativity. I could go on and on, which wouldn’t be appropriate for this venue, but just think about this skateboard if you see a group of skaters and find yourself jumping to conclusions (as I used to do).

Anyway, on to the piece. It was created using Montana spraypraint and layers of stencils. It’s very impressive how much shading was achieving using this technique. STENZSKULLS created this awesome board for a contest sponsored by Coalition Skate Shop in San Luis Obispo, California.

STENZSKULLS will also be showing the above piece–created with multi-layer stencil work, wood staining, adhesived on stencil on paper then distressed and wood carving–at the Manifest Hope show in D.C., opening this weekend. I love this one because it really shows a moment of quiet introspection, completely different from the design on the skateboard.

Can you believe that inauguration is only a few days away? Wow!

We’re loving Chicagoan Rachel Javellana‘s metallic blue “Yes We Can” stenciled tote bag. She says on the flickr photo page that folks are already asking her where she got it. She gives a quick run-down on what you need to make your very own:

1. Lumiere by Jaquard light body metallic acrylic in 570 Pearl Blue
2. Stencil brush
3. Stencil film (mylar)
4. Masking tape
5. Xacto
6. Iron

What a fun, low-cost way to show your support!

Yes We Can!

Rebecca, from Tuscon, Arizona, wrote to us about the T-shirt she embellished for her husband:

I’m not much of a crafter, but I wanted to makeover one of my husband’s good but dingy t-shirts to look like a jersey with name (Obama) and number (08) printed on the back (jerseys are supposed to be dingy, right?). He looks like an athlete when he wears it. I look like a soccer mom (with my Palin bangs, Tina Fey glasses, and PTA card). I was able to give the shirt to the hubster for his retirement after 20 years of military service including 14 excruciatingly long months in a row in Iraq.

You can read more over on her blog, Mom-a-Tron.

You can learn about Barack Obama’s plan to care for and support our nation’s veterans right here.

Yes We Can!